Question

Read the text about a person in motion.

Caden stood in the center of the highest diving board at a public pool. He stared at the water far below him and then decided he did not want to jump. So, he climbed carefully down the ladder. He walked across the flat deck to the side of the pool. Then, he sat down and dipped his feet in the water.
When was the least gravitational potential energy stored between Caden and Earth? Assume that Caden's mass did not change

Answer 1

The least gravitational potential energy between Caden and Earth occurred when he was sitting at the edge of the pool with his feet in the water since his height above the reference point was zero.

Step-by-step explanation:

The least gravitational potential energy between Caden and Earth was when he was on the ground, specifically when he sat down by the pool and dipped his feet in the water.

Gravitational potential energy (GPE) is calculated using the formula GPE = mgh, where m is the mass of the object, g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s² on the surface of the Earth), and h is the height above the reference point, which in this case, could be the ground or the surface of the water.

Since the height h becomes zero when Caden is sitting at the edge of the pool with his feet in the water, his gravitational potential energy at that point is also zero.

When Caden was 1 meter above the ground, his potential energy would be calculated by substituting the known values into the formula; however, since his mass is not given, we cannot calculate a specific value. Nonetheless, his potential energy is higher one meter above the ground than when he is on the ground.